Our School

Hello Parents and Caregivers,

We miss our Mill Park kids and can’t wait to see them again!

Thank you for being our partner again this year. We love our Mill Park families, and it’s VERY important to our school to be a welcoming community for you and your kid(s). Welcome back!

I hope you’re all enjoying your summer. This summer, both of my girls took swimming lessons at the David Douglas high school pool. They can both swim now! 

Here is some essential information to get the year underway:

When is the office open?

The office will be back up and running starting Tuesday, August 22 from 8 AM – 4 PM. From then on until school begins, we’ll be open Monday – Friday 8AM – 4PM following the school elementary calendar here. The office will not be open on Monday, August 28th until 1 PM, and we will have limited AM hours on Tuesday, August 29th. 

When will I know my child’s teacher?

Class Lists will be posted on the school playground windows on Friday, August 25th at 11:30 AM. Come on over to the playground and see who your child’s teacher is.  We have also communicated this information in an email and text message via ParentSquare. ParentSquare is our main form of communication, please register for an account if you don’t have one yet! Click one of the links below to get started with ParentSquare:

• Getting Started – English Flyer
• Getting Started – Chinese Flyer
• Getting Started – Russian Flyer
• Getting Started – Somali Flyer
• Getting Started – Spanish Flyer
• Getting Started – Vietnamese Flyer

Do I need to buy school supplies? 

No, luckily we cover student supplies. It’s on us! You do not need to buy or bring any school supplies. Your child needs a backpack, and that’s it. Breakfast and lunch are free at Mill Park. Your child is of course welcome to bring a lunch from home if you choose that instead. 

Kindergarteners receive a snack during the day so there is an additional snack fee of $15 for kindergarten families only. Please stop by the office to pay this fee the first week of school. 

When is my child’s first day?

We start the year with a gradual entry, which means that the first week of school, kids only attend ONE day. We start slowly so that teachers can have more time to connect with your child before the entire class is in the room. Your family will attend ONE day that first week – either Wednesday, September 6th, Thursday, September 7th or Friday, September 8th.  We have divided our families up into three groups based on the number of students and siblings we have. To make it more clear this year, we have assigned your family a day. 

If you haven’t already received a letter in the mail with your child’s first day, please check the mail! If it still hasn’t’ arrived by Tuesday, August 22nd. Give us a call or stop by. We’ll be open from 8 AM – 4 PM.

What do I need to start the school year?

All you need is a backpack and a solid plan to get to school on time everyday! Attendance is hugely important for your child’s success. We expect our kids to be at school 90% or more. When kids are at school less than 90%, they don’t reach their potential, and they are also less likely to graduate high school. Good patterns for success start now.

What time does school start and end?

Our doors open at 8:55 AM. Please plan to have your child at school early so they can have time to connect with teachers and friends. It is important for us that kids start the day with positive relationships. Kids have time to talk with friends and eat breakfast from 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM. We call this a “Soft Start” because we don’t start instruction until 9:15 AM. The tardy bell rings at 9:15 AM. 

Have you registered your kindergartener? 

Registration for Kindergarten is essential.  The earlier we know your kiddo is coming, the better. Register for your child TODAY online on our district website here. 

Our preschool is now full. 

Which door do I drop off my child at? Where do I pick them up?

The FRONT DOOR is only for bus riders to enter and exit. The front bus loop is NOT a car drop off area. DO NOT drive into the Bus Loop to drop your child off at the front door. This creates traffic issues for our buses and safety issues for our students. Additionally, it is unlawful to park in the designated handicap parking spots to drop off your child. We have students that need access to these permit only spaces. These spots need to remain open for our families and community members with legal handicap permits. 

The CAR DOOR is located on the North side of our school. If you drop off your child by car, you can park or let them out in the Mill Park Baptist Church Parking lot off Market Street, North of our school and walk up the path to the school. This is the same door they will exit from to go home by car at the end of the school day.

The WALKER DOOR is located on the East side of our school, next to the playground. If you walk to school, we ask that students enter and exit through this door. 

We have THREE entrances. Please use your correct door to prevent traffic issues. 

Thank you for your cooperation in helping to meet the needs of our Mill Park community during drop off and pick up!

Bus Info

Please visit the David Douglas Website by clicking HERE to get your student’s bus information. You’ll need your students 6-digit student ID number for their username (the one they log into their computers with) and their password is their date of birth. 

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. We’ll see you soon!

Below are the bus numbers, stops, and times! Find yours:

New Teachers!

Welcome to 5th grade, DeeDee Bradley! She is replacing Becky Buchanan who wanted to teach third grade instead of 5th and moved to Lincoln Park Elementary. Ms. DeeDee has already been an assistant at Mill Park for five years. She builds great relationships with kids, and she sets high expectations for them as well. Ms. DeeDee is already very well known at Mill ​Park, and we’re ​thrilled for her to join the 5th grade teaching team with ​our other new 5th grade Teacher, ​Elyse Helland! Ms. Helland is a veteran teacher ​who just moved to Portland. She’s ​been teaching piano lessons this summer! Her previous principal ​set she is an “incredible teacher,” and her former school was sad to see her go.  These 5th graders are lucky this year. 

Hello Thomas Duncan! Teacher Duncan is replacing Jessica Anderson (Ms. Jessica) in preschool. Ms. Jessica got another position helping other preschool programs improve in Portland. ​Teachers ​Thomas has been teaching preschool for nine years. He plans to one day open his own preschool. We’re very lucky to find ​such a passionate and creative ​educator. 

Important Dates

We all look forward to starting this year with you and your lovely children! 

Kindly, 

Heather Craig and Vanessa Crawley

Mill Park Principal and Assistant Principal